The Most Hated Christian Doctrine

Summary

The transcript discusses the findings of a survey on evangelicals' beliefs, revealing a disconnect from traditional Christian doctrine. It contrasts this with the Puritan understanding of sound doctrine, emphasizing the most hated Christian doctrine: the total depravity of man. The speaker argues that people are inherently sinful, unable and unwilling to come to Christ on their own, and in need of divine intervention for salvation. The message underscores the offensive nature of the Gospel and the necessity of recognizing one's sinfulness and reliance on God's grace.

Takeaways

• 📜 The survey from Ligonier Ministries reveals a disconnect between modern evangelicals' beliefs and traditional evangelical theology.
• 🔍 Many self-identified evangelicals hold beliefs that contradict core tenets of historic Christianity, such as the literal truth of the Bible and the deity of Jesus Christ.
• 🤔 The shift in beliefs is attributed to the evangelical church's efforts to avoid offending non-Christians and diluting the Christian message to prevent rejection.
• 🚫 The script highlights the most hated Christian doctrine: the total depravity of humans, who are born sinful and incapable of understanding or accepting the truth without divine intervention.
• ✝️ Jesus' teachings often generated hostility because they exposed the sinfulness of individuals, especially among the religious leaders of his time.
• 💔 The religious leaders of Jesus' era rejected his message, despite his offers of eternal life, forgiveness, and salvation, illustrating the depth of human depravity.
• 🌧️ The human condition is described as being spiritually dead, under the control of Satan, and hostile to God's truth, which is a message that is difficult to convey in evangelism.
• 🔄 The only path to salvation is through being 'born again', a process that is entirely dependent on God's grace and cannot be achieved through human effort or merit.
• 🙏 The sinner's response should be to cry out to God for mercy and salvation, acknowledging their helplessness and recognizing the truth of their sinful state.
• 🌟 The Gospel message is both the most hated and the most distinctively Christian doctrine, as it stands in contrast to all other religious beliefs that involve some form of works-based salvation.

Q & A

What were the criteria used to define someone as an evangelical in the mentioned survey?

The criteria used to define someone as an evangelical included belief in the Bible, belief in Jesus, belief in the gospel, and a felt responsibility to communicate the gospel to others.

What was the surprising finding from the survey about evangelicals?

The survey found that many evangelicals held beliefs that contradicted traditional evangelical doctrines, such as agreeing that everyone is born innocent, the Bible is not literally true, God accepts worship from all religions, and that Jesus was a good teacher but not God.

How does the speaker describe the shift in the Evangelical Church's approach over the last 30 years?

The speaker describes the shift as an attempt to avoid offending non-Christians and to remove the 'offenses' from the Christian message, resulting in an Evangelical movement void of truth.

What is the most hated Christian doctrine according to the speaker?

The most hated Christian doctrine, according to the speaker, is the doctrine of total depravity, which declares that the whole human race is sinful.

Why does the speaker believe that people hate the doctrine of total depravity?

The speaker believes people hate the doctrine of total depravity because it challenges their self-image and the dominant sin of pride, forcing them to confront their own sinfulness and the need for salvation.

What does the speaker say about the relationship between the world's hatred of Jesus and the hatred of his disciples?

The speaker says that the world hated Jesus first, and then it hated his disciples once they began to preach the same message of Jesus.

How does the speaker explain the hostility towards Jesus during his ministry?

The speaker explains that the hostility towards Jesus during his ministry was due to his message of truth, which was offensive to the religious leaders and the people who were comfortable with their own self-image and religious practices.

What does the speaker mean when he says that people are 'dead in their trespasses and sins'?

When the speaker says people are 'dead in their trespasses and sins,' he means that they are spiritually dead, lacking the spiritual life and capacity to respond to God's truth and law.

What is the speaker's view on the role of the Holy Spirit in the process of salvation?

The speaker views the Holy Spirit as essential in the process of salvation, being the one who regenerates or 're-births' the sinner, giving them new spiritual life and the ability to come to Christ.

How does the speaker describe the sinner's response to the realization of their condition?

The speaker describes the sinner's response as a cry out to God for mercy and salvation, acknowledging their helplessness and inability to contribute to their own salvation.

What is the speaker's conclusion about the believer's role in their salvation?

The speaker concludes that the believer's role in their salvation is to recognize and accept the gift of salvation by grace, acknowledging that they have contributed nothing to it and giving all the glory to God.